Media Releases

Pruning Ban for Elm Trees Takes Effect April 1st

Prince Albert, SK - Residents are reminded to prune their elm trees by March 31st, or to delay until early fall, as the provincial ban on pruning elm trees will be in effect between April 1st and August 31st. The ban ensures that elm bark beetles, which transmit Dutch Elm Disease (DED), are not attracted to the pruning cuts when these beetles are most active.

DED was first discovered in Saskatchewan in 1981 and continues to be found in more areas of the province every year. DED is caused by a fungus that clogs the tree’s water conducting system, which eventually causes the tree to die, usually within one or two seasons.

The early symptoms of the disease usually appear by July when the leaves on one or more branches wilt, curl, turn yellow and then die. The only effective management strategy for the elm bark beetle is to deprive it of its breeding habitat. This involves keeping our elm trees healthy by removing potential breeding material in trees and eliminating detached elm wood. For this reason, it is necessary to dispose or render un-inhabitable any elm stumps and remove any fallen branches or any wood from a fallen elm tree. Under no circumstances should elm wood be left lying around or stored for firewood or other purposes.

Elm removal can occur at any time of the year, however the entire tree must be removed and all waste elm be transported to the nearest approved landfill site in the municipality where the elm was removed. In Prince Albert, the City’s landfill, located north of Prince Albert, is an approved site. Please note that there will be a fee for commercial hauling of green waste.